Cineplex Pictures has entered a partnership with Halifax-based prodco Shut up & Colour Pictures to distribute Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) selection The Queen of My Dreams, the feature debut from Canadian writer and director Fawzia Mirza.

The deal marks Cineplex Pictures’ first deal out of the festival, according to a news release, and will see The Queen of My Dreams released theatrically in Canada through Cineplex Pictures in early 2024. It was negotiated by Brad LaDouceur and Tim Smy of Cineplex Pictures and producers Jason Levangie and Marc Tetreault of Shut Up & Colour Pictures.

LevelK kicked off international sales for the pic out of TIFF, and the drama will next be in competition at the BFI London Film Festival in October.

The film, which was produced by Levangie and Tetreault, as well as Andria Wilson Mirza of Baby Daal Productions, is a Crave original in Canada, with second window broadcast rights pre-sold to CBC Films. It was made in partnership with the Canada Media Fund, Telefilm Canada, and Spark Features in the U.S.

The Queen of My Dreams stars Amrit Kaur (The Sex Lives of College Girls), Nimra Bucha (Ms. Marvel), and Hamza Haq (Transplant). The story follows a woman (Kaur) who finds herself on a Bollywood-inspired journey through memories, both real and imagined, after her father’s death, from her mother’s youth in Karachi to her own coming-of-age in rural Canada.

“Fawzia Mirza is an incredibly talented and exciting filmmaker and a wonderful representation of the future of Canadian film,” said Brad LaDouceur, VP and general manager of Cineplex Pictures in a statement. “The Queen of My Dreams is the type of storytelling that Cineplex Pictures is actively looking for and we can’t wait to bring it to audiences across the country.”

“We’re overjoyed to be working with Cineplex Pictures to bring Fawzia’s debut feature to theatres across Canada,” added Levangie. “Their willingness to make this theatrically-minded deal, and collaborate with us to market the release widely, makes them an ideal partner for The Queen of My Dreams.”

Image courtesy of TIFF